Northwest

Joseph David Emerson, left, 44, was arraigned in Multnomah County Circuit Court on Tues., Oct. 24, 2023, in Portalnd, Ore. Emerson, a pilot, is accused of attempting to disable the engines of a plane on which he was riding while off-duty last Sunday. Emerson pleaded not guilty Tuesday. (Dave Killen/The Oregonian via AP, Pool)

Wife of ex-Alaska Airlines pilot says she’s in shock after averted Everett flight disaster

“This is not my Joe,” Sarah Stretch told reporters after attending her husband Joseph Emerson’s first appearance in federal court.

Joseph David Emerson, left, 44, was arraigned in Multnomah County Circuit Court on Tues., Oct. 24, 2023, in Portalnd, Ore. Emerson, a pilot, is accused of attempting to disable the engines of a plane on which he was riding while off-duty last Sunday. Emerson pleaded not guilty Tuesday. (Dave Killen/The Oregonian via AP, Pool)
FILE - A Value Village store is seen, Dec. 12, 2017, in Edmonds, Wash. Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson's long-running legal case against the thrift store chain Savers Value Village turned out to be no bargain, as the state was ordered on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023, to pay the company nearly $4.3 million in legal fees. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)

Washington’s legal fees top $4.2M in failed lawsuit against Value Village

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s legal case against the thrift store chain turned out to be no bargain.

  • Oct 19, 2023
  • By Wire Service
FILE - A Value Village store is seen, Dec. 12, 2017, in Edmonds, Wash. Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson's long-running legal case against the thrift store chain Savers Value Village turned out to be no bargain, as the state was ordered on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023, to pay the company nearly $4.3 million in legal fees. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)
Trainer Marcia Henton feeds Lolita the killer whale, also known as Tokitae and Toki, inside her stadium tank at the Miami Seaquarium on Saturday, July 8, 2023, in Miami, Fla. After officials announced plans to move Lolita from the Seaquarium, trainers and veterinarians are now working to prepare her for the move. (Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald/TNS)

Tokitae the orca died from old age and multiple chronic illnesses, necropsy finds

The exam supported early reports from the Miami Seaquarium, which cited kidney failure as the cause of death.

  • Oct 17, 2023
  • By Wire Service
Trainer Marcia Henton feeds Lolita the killer whale, also known as Tokitae and Toki, inside her stadium tank at the Miami Seaquarium on Saturday, July 8, 2023, in Miami, Fla. After officials announced plans to move Lolita from the Seaquarium, trainers and veterinarians are now working to prepare her for the move. (Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald/TNS)
Tents used by unhoused people alongside Dupont Street in Bellingham. (Hailey Hoffman / Cascadia Daily News)

Could giving cash to the homeless reduce the problem?

A recent study out of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver found that unconditional cash transfers can increase a homeless person’s savings, reduce the number of days a year they’re homeless and save the government money.

  • Oct 7, 2023
  • By Charlotte Alden Cascadia Daily News
Tents used by unhoused people alongside Dupont Street in Bellingham. (Hailey Hoffman / Cascadia Daily News)

Ex-soldier charged with trying to leak secrets to China

The former U.S. Army intelligence officer was arrested Friday at the airport in San Francisco. He’d been charged with retention and attempted delivery of national defense information.

  • Oct 7, 2023
  • By Gene Johnson Associated Press

Why the world’s climate fate could depend on the ‘Amazon of the North’

A new book argues for a novel way of viewing the rainforest that stretches up North America’s western coastline

  • Oct 7, 2023
  • By Eliza Murphy Columbia Insight
Members of the Island County Sheriffs Office take part in the search for a chartered floatplane Monday afternoon in Freeland, Washington on August 5, 2022.  (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

Failure of single component caused seaplane crash near Whidbey Island, NTSB says

Evidence showed the failure happened before the crash, not as a result of it, investigators concluded.

Members of the Island County Sheriffs Office take part in the search for a chartered floatplane Monday afternoon in Freeland, Washington on August 5, 2022.  (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
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Washington State Library cuts hours and leaves jobs unfilled as its budget takes a hit

Effective this week, the library in Tumwater will be closed Mondays and its Ask A Librarian program halted indefinitely.

  • Oct 4, 2023
  • By Wire Service
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Cash is used for a purchase at Molly Moon's Ice Cream in Edmonds, Washington on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (Annie Barker / The Herald)

Washington minimum wage to top $16 an hour next year

Meanwhile, some salaried workers and rideshare drivers could see their earnings rise from other state-required adjustments.

  • Oct 3, 2023
  • By Wire Service
Cash is used for a purchase at Molly Moon's Ice Cream in Edmonds, Washington on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Two EV charging stations are unveiled at a ribbon cutting outside of PUD headquarters on Wednesday, July 13, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

A new roadmap to speed the spread of electric vehicles in Washington state

Larger incentives, chargers in light poles, and low-cost leasing are among the ideas in a blueprint for boosting ownership and reducing emissions.

  • Oct 2, 2023
  • By Wire Service
Two EV charging stations are unveiled at a ribbon cutting outside of PUD headquarters on Wednesday, July 13, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
This photo provided by OceanGate Expeditions shows a submersible vessel named Titan used to visit the wreckage site of the Titanic. In a race against the clock on the high seas, an expanding international armada of ships and airplanes searched Tuesday, June 20, 2023, for the submersible that vanished in the North Atlantic while taking five people down to the wreck of the Titanic. (OceanGate Expeditions via AP)

A new movie based on OceanGate’s Titan submersible tragedy is in the works: ‘Salvaged’

MindRiot announced the film, a fictional project titled “Salvaged,” on Friday.

This photo provided by OceanGate Expeditions shows a submersible vessel named Titan used to visit the wreckage site of the Titanic. In a race against the clock on the high seas, an expanding international armada of ships and airplanes searched Tuesday, June 20, 2023, for the submersible that vanished in the North Atlantic while taking five people down to the wreck of the Titanic. (OceanGate Expeditions via AP)
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Inslee’s COVID-19 eviction ban was legal, state Supreme Court rules

The court ruled 5-4 against landlords who argued Inslee exceeded his authority with the pandemic-era measure.

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FILE - This April 29, 2019 file photo provided by the United States Geological Survey shows a grizzly bear and a cub along the Gibbon River in Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. Wildlife advocates are seeking a court order that would force U.S. officials to consider if grizzly bears should be restored to more Western states following the animals' resurgence in the Northern Rockies.  (Frank van Manen/The United States Geological Survey via AP,File)

There are new proposals to bring back grizzly bears in the North Cascades

Federal plans to reintroduce the bears in Washington derailed during the Trump years. A grizzly hasn’t been seen in the region since the 1990s.

  • Sep 29, 2023
  • By Wire Service
FILE - This April 29, 2019 file photo provided by the United States Geological Survey shows a grizzly bear and a cub along the Gibbon River in Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. Wildlife advocates are seeking a court order that would force U.S. officials to consider if grizzly bears should be restored to more Western states following the animals' resurgence in the Northern Rockies.  (Frank van Manen/The United States Geological Survey via AP,File)
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New state budget forecast offers $1B worth of good news for Washington leaders

Leaders of the Senate and House budget-writing panels can expect members of both parties to have suggestions on how to spend the windfall.

  • Sep 28, 2023
  • By Wire Service
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Washington Gov. Jay Inslee speaks Friday, April 22, 2022, at an event with President Joe Biden at Green River College in Auburn, Wash., south of Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee tests positive for COVID-19 for 3rd time

Inslee’s office said in a statement Thursday that he was experiencing very mild symptoms, including a cough.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee speaks Friday, April 22, 2022, at an event with President Joe Biden at Green River College in Auburn, Wash., south of Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Trainer Marcia Henton feeds Lolita the killer whale, also known as Tokitae and Toki, inside her stadium tank at the Miami Seaquarium on Saturday, July 8, 2023, in Miami, Fla. After officials announced plans to move Lolita from the Seaquarium, trainers and veterinarians are now working to prepare her for the move. (Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald/TNS)

Ashes of orca Tokitae finally home after her death last month in Miami

Her ashes will be scattered in a private ceremony by members of the Lummi Nation.

  • Sep 22, 2023
  • By Wire Service
Trainer Marcia Henton feeds Lolita the killer whale, also known as Tokitae and Toki, inside her stadium tank at the Miami Seaquarium on Saturday, July 8, 2023, in Miami, Fla. After officials announced plans to move Lolita from the Seaquarium, trainers and veterinarians are now working to prepare her for the move. (Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald/TNS)
A Coast Guard cutter searches for a crashed chartered floatplane near Mutiny Bay Monday afternoon in Freeland, Washington on September 5, 2022.  (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

Wife of pilot killed in Whidbey Island floatplane crash files lawsuit

This is the lawsuit filed against companies associated with the aircraft’s operations and manufacturing.

A Coast Guard cutter searches for a crashed chartered floatplane near Mutiny Bay Monday afternoon in Freeland, Washington on September 5, 2022.  (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
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Seattle City Council OKs law to prosecute for having and using drugs such as fentanyl in public

The council voted to approve the measure by a 6-3 vote on Tuesday, aligning the city’s code with a new state law.

  • Sep 21, 2023
  • By Wire Service
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WA Supreme Court says state isn’t responsible for 100% of school construction costs

Wahkiakum School District argued the state’s duty to amply fund education extended to capital projects. One justice scolded the state, saying the current system is unfair to small districts.

  • Sep 8, 2023
  • By Wire Service
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An EA-18G Growler taxis down the airstrip on Naval Air Station Whidbey Island during the squadron’s welcome home ceremony in August 2017. (Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Scott Wood/U.S. Navy)

Judge orders new Growler jet study on Whidbey Island

The Navy must redo an environmental study on the impact of expanded EA-18G Growler operations.

An EA-18G Growler taxis down the airstrip on Naval Air Station Whidbey Island during the squadron’s welcome home ceremony in August 2017. (Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Scott Wood/U.S. Navy)